RFE
18 Oct 2019, 01:17 GMT+10
Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire in Syria to let Kurdish-led forces withdraw, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
'Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a cease-fire in Syria,' Pence told a press conference in the Turkish capital on October 17, saying that all military operations in northern Syria will pause for five days, and the United States will help facilitate an 'orderly withdrawal' of Kurdish-led troops.
The United States and Turkey have 'mutually committed to peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone,' he said.
'We are suspending the operation. This is not a cease-fire,' Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later told reporters, adding: 'We can only halt the offensive when all terrorist elements completely withdraw from this area.'
"Great news out of Turkey.... Millions of lives will be saved!" U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted.
Turkey launched its offensive, now in its ninth day, saying it wanted to clear the area of Kurdish forces and establish a buffer zone to resettle Syrian refugees.
The move came after Trump's abrupt decision announced last week to withdraw forces from northeast Syria where they had been supporting Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State (IS) group.
Turkey has long argued the Kurdish fighters in Syria are an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a guerrilla campaign inside Turkey since the 1980s and which Ankara, Washington, and the European Union designate as a terrorist organization.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, the BBC, and dpa
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationBUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, used a major religious event over the weekend to criticize...
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico: In a first-of-its-kind judicial election in Mexico, more than 5,000 candidates are vying for over 840 federal...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
BOSTON, Massachusetts: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken away Harvard University's right to enroll international...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
GAZA - The home of a doctor working in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza was struck by Israel Air...
DUBAI, 29th May, 2025 (WAM) -- The third and final day of the Film and Gaming Forum, organised by the Dubai Films and Games Commission...
DUBAI, 28th May, 2025 (WAM) -- Dr. Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar, the Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry, lauded the development model...
TOKYO, 28th May, 2025 (WAM) -- As part of the UAE pavilion at Expo 2025 in Japan, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority has unveiled Suhail,...
Sharjah [UAE], May 28 (ANI/WAM): Cheryl Bertoia, Principal Operations Officer at COSPAS-SARSAT, expressed her gratitude to the UAE...